The chief executive of French oil giant Total was killed Monday night when the business jet he was flying in crashed on takeoff at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow. Christophe de Margerie perished along with four others in the accident. Three were crew members and the fourth was the driver of a snow-removal machine with which the Falcon jet collided. Reports said the plane’s landing gear hit the snow plow on liftoff, causing an engine fire. As the pilot tried to turn back and land, the aircraft crashed in a fireball. De Margerie was 63 and became Total’s CEO in 2007. He leaves behind a wife and children.
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